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Thank you · From the crew of the Seahorse

Happy 10th BirthdayEloi

A message from the Seahorse1:57

Captain David recorded this message for you on the bridge of the Seahorse, our ship protecting the vaquita in the Upper Gulf of California.

Meet your vaquita
Years old today
10
Kids at the party
10
Vaquitas seen in the 2025 survey
7 to 10

A note from the Seahorse

Thank You, Eloi

Happy 10th birthday from all of us on the Seahorse! We heard you are celebrating with nine of your friends, and we wanted to say thank you to every one of you.

Right now our crew is getting the Seahorse ready to sail back to the Vaquita Refuge in the Upper Gulf of California. It is the only place in the world where vaquitas live, and our ship is there to keep it safe.

We have good news to share. Our crews are still seeing healthy vaquitas out there, including young ones, and it looks like their numbers are no longer falling as fast as they were.

Your family's gift to Vaquita Defense helps keep the Seahorse on patrol, finding illegal nets and pulling them out of the water before they can hurt vaquitas and the other animals that share their home.

Thank you, Eloi, and thank you to all of your friends for helping.

Your friends at Sea Shepherdand the crew of the Seahorse

Ten and ten

One for Every Vaquita

There are ten of you at the party, and scientists think there are only about ten vaquitas left. That makes one for each of you. Tap all ten to bring them up for air.

0 of 10 up for air

Scientists saw 7 to 10 vaquitas during the 2025 survey, including at least one calf.

Six things to know

Meet the Vaquita

The vaquita is a tiny porpoise that lives in one small corner of Mexico, and you just helped protect it.

A vaquita surfacing with its dorsal fin above the water
  1. 01

    The smallest porpoise on Earth

    A grown vaquita is up to 1.5 meters long, about as long as you are tall.

  2. 02

    Its name means little cow

    Vaquita is Spanish for little cow. Its full name, vaquita marina, means little sea cow.

  3. 03

    It looks like it wears eyeliner

    It has dark rings around its eyes and dark patches on its lips. Some people call it the panda of the sea.

  4. 04

    It lives in just one place

    The Upper Gulf of California in Mexico. Vaquitas live nowhere else on the planet.

  5. 05

    It is very shy

    Vaquitas stay away from boats, so scientists find them by watching closely and listening for their clicks under the water.

  6. 06

    Its biggest danger is a net

    Illegal nets set for a big fish called the totoaba can trap vaquitas. Our crews find those nets and pull them out.

More to watch

Videos From the Refuge

Photos

From the Refuge

For when you are older

A Wish for the Future

We hope that when you are all grown up, there will be more vaquitas in the world. And you can always remember that when you were ten, you were already helping save this species and its home.

Happy birthday, Eloi. Thank you from all of us at Sea Shepherd.

Visit Vaquita Defense